Safe Sanctuary

What is Safe Sanctuary?

• Safe Sanctuary is a policy describing commitments and procedures that will help us reduce the risk of child abuse in our church.
• It affects all of us in the church body as we support a safe and welcoming place for children. Specifically, it defines pro-active requirements for Hibben staff and volunteers working with children’s ministries.

Our purpose for establishing this Child Abuse Prevention Policy and accompanying procedures is to demonstrate our total and unwavering commitment to the physical, emotional and spiritual safety of all our children, youth and vulnerable adults.  While the language of the policy most often refers to children and/or youth, the policies and procedures apply to ministry with any vulnerable adults who need our special protection.

Hibben’s Safe Sanctuary Policy Overview

• Our policy and procedures include:
• Qualification standards for volunteer and staff
• Screening procedures including criminal background checks for volunteers and staff
• Application and training process for volunteers and staff
• Procedures for conducting children/youth ministry
• Process for reporting suspected abuse

How Do I Become a Volunteer With Hibben’s Children and Youth?

We are always in need of loving and nurturing Christian adults to provide leadership and encouragement to your children and youth. There is a place at Hibben UMC for your gifts and service.

• As of February 2009, our Safe Sanctuary Policy and Procedures went into effect. The necessary forms may be downloaded from this site. You are asked to read the entire policy and then to fill out the application form, release form, covenant statement and acknowledgment. Training is offered in periodic class sessions or is available on a DVD which may be watched at the church at your convenience.
• Please be assured that this is a confidential process as the policy mandates.

Any Questions?

Please contact Tammy Haigler in the church office.

Our Covenant

Hibben United Methodist Church hereby pledges to conduct the ministry of Jesus Christ in ways that assure the physical and emotional safety and spiritual growth of all of our children and youth as well as all of our workers with children and youth. We will follow reasonable safety measures when selecting and recruiting workers; we will implement appropriate operational procedures in all areas of programming and care; we will train our workers with children and youth on our procedures and policies; and we will have a clearly defined procedure for reporting a suspected incident of abuse consistent with South Carolina state law.